ÆRIAL NAVIGATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 235, 28 September 1908, Page 4

ÆRIAL NAVIGATION.

The following extract from a Eoudun paper relating to the Wright aeroplane, will be read with interest:--Mr. Wilibiir Wright, one of the two famous brothel's from America, justilied his title to the claim to be the ill'st man to lly. Upon the racecourse of 1.,. .Minis. i'n France, he flow four miles in six miiiuU's fiftv seconds.

Till; fashion in which this Might was accomplished demonstrated suliicieutly lo those who witnessed il that ill'. Wil--1 mi- Wright is in possession of a machine over which In- has the most complete control, and which could have remained in the air apparently almost iiuleliiiitciy. .Mr. Wright proceeded very slowly and vcr.- methodically to make his, arrangements. With some dillicull.y lhe machine, nionnted on two smallwheeled platforms, was guided to the middle "( the Held, where"it was placed on rails set at an incline, aucl held back by a heavy weight on a pulley. Finally, after an hour and a half spent in making preparations. Mr. Wright started (lie motor, and taking his seat, released the weight. As if shot from a catapult the aeroplane ran live or six yards along the rails, anil to the amazement and admiration of the crowd of journalists, photographers, and aeronauts, the American rose at once to the unprecedented height of seventy feet.. He then made a graceful, swallow-lik'e dive of lifteen or twenty feet, and started round the racecourse at great speed. lie made four complete circles. Thou, turning and twi.sting in the air with the most, astonishing ease, lie described the figure S twice and soared upwards three limes like a. bird. On the third and last occasion he reached the extraordinary heijjht of ninety feet. Swooping ilown with the ul most grace, lie alighted as softly as a Inittertly. Kvcrybody present was wildly oxeited and insisted upon pressing his hand and overwhelming him with admiration. Mr. Wright smiled and s aid, "1 wanted to trv the machine in the wind, ami I was .pleased to see it behaved so we'll. However, I have not yet got ipiite used to the wind here. 1 fame down because i was a little tired."

'l'he wind was 'blowing at the rale of nine miles an hour, but, nevertheless, the aeroplane behaved splendidly. Mr. Wright was in the air for (liuin. Slisoo. alloc-other, mid during that time the distance traversed was four miles.

A crowd of over 30(10 people assembled in the evening, M. Kiipferer, engineer and eonslmrtor of 11. Deutsih do la Meurthe's airship Villi- do Paris, Miss Morgan, daughter of Mr. I'ierpont Morgan, and Miss I'ertha Murray, daughter or the well-known publisher, being pro sent. It was also staled that two (!.»■• man ollicers wore '.watching. With his usual utter disregard for pitblie curiosity. Mr. Wright paid no at lonlion to the crowd, and spent an hour and a half writing letters seat/id on a camp stool, his table being a wooden box turned upside down. F.veutiiallv at 11.30 he came out, in his shirt s|,.,.vos as usual, and at 0.40 started oil again, rising immediately to a height of 30ft. The (light only lastc; ■lils'ec. During it lie made a sharp bend and then returned to his starting-point. The aeroplane was immediately replaced in position, and at 0..".."i he started again, souring up immediately lo a height of 40ft.. and making straight for one end of the ground. He turned sharply round and <eaine back to the si ailing-point, coming gently down to earth again, having been up exactly linin. 4-lsec, and having covered a mile. • 1 am taking no risks.'-' Mr. Wright said to me, "and for tlui next two weeks 1 shall continue to make short Nights dailv/ I'u North Carolina last May Mr. Wright flow six miles ill eight minut.-s, and there si-cms to be no longer any reason to doubt (he statement that a lliirht of twenty-four miles was made in Ohio in 1003.